


dogs and cats

by minouribia



Series: October Prompts [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Supernatural Elements, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26806813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minouribia/pseuds/minouribia
Summary: Emma is straight-up not having a good time right now.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: October Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950595
Comments: 3
Kudos: 59





	dogs and cats

They always warn you with stories of what not to do during wolfs time, but they never tell you how being a werewolf works. 

Really makes you think. 

Halloween used to be fun. It used to be a highlight of every year. It was always a good time. 

Emma is straight-up not having a good time right now.

She stumbles around the forest on her wolf legs, cursing every moment that has led up to this. Trusting Ruby that night was a mistake of epic proportions. 

“‘ _It’ll be fun_ ’ she said. ‘ _Nothing bad will happen_ ’ she said,” Emma tries to mock. However, it doesn’t work very well due to the fact she is a wolf. It comes out as more of a bark than words. 

A bark that attracts way more attention than she wants right now. 

To the side of her, the bushes begin to rustle. Not a breeze blowing by kind of rustle, but a someone is here rustle.

She raises her hackles, tense and ready for any upcoming fight. Whether it’s human or wolf, she is determined to win. 

But the creature jumps out and reveals itself to be neither. 

A cat. A tiny black house cat is what scared her half to death. 

It stares at her with piercing, calculating eyes that look all too human. Or maybe that’s the wolf talking since she is now an animal. 

It walks closer to her, head held high as if it isn’t less than a foot tall. As if she couldn’t punt it into the sun if she wanted to. 

“Who are you?” Emma tries, once again forgetting the fact she is a wolf right now. The cat rears back, eyes wide with fear that quickly turns to molten anger. 

It lets out a low hiss and fluffs its body up until it’s nearly twice as big. Emma steps back, bowing her head slightly. 

Is that what animals do to show they aren’t a threat? She has no idea. Sounds like it could be right, though. Maybe it’s knowledge she's picked up from letting _Animal Planet_ play while she was asleep.

The cat doesn’t seem any more friendly to her, but it slowly starts to relax, so Emma’s going to take that as a good sign. Now she only has to get this cat to stop glaring at her like she ate its entire family and then some extended relatives afterwards just to be even more of an asshole. 

This would be so much easier if she could turn back into a human. 

“I’m going to kill Ruby,” she mutters to herself, but to her extreme joy, this time she actually _can_ speak. Because somehow she’s turned herself back into a human. 

Hopefully she doesn’t have a tail or anything. 

“Who’s Ruby?” asks a petite woman sitting on the ground across from her. Exactly where the cat was moments ago… 

A cat who seems to have disappeared. 

Emma narrows her eyes suspiciously at the woman. “Where’d you come from?” 

“I’ll tell you that once you tell me who Ruby is. And why do you want to kill her?” 

“She’s my friend. She’s also an asshole. Now, are you going to tell me how the hell you got here?” 

The woman grins mischievously. “Why, dear, I was here the whole time. Just as you were.” 

“That’s— Are you saying you were the cat?” The woman seems honest enough, but shapeshifting from cat to human? It’s unheard of. 

At least, Emma’s never heard of anyone except werewolves shifting forms. It’s kind of their special thing. 

She did a lot of reading on werewolf history after being turned by Ruby. Well, she skimmed a few Wikipedia pages, but then she also listened to an audiobook, so it was pretty extensive research. 

“I’m certainly not saying I was the bush. You’re free to draw your own conclusions.” 

“Wh—“ Her sentence is cut-off by a wolfy bark. Not again. 

The woman stares down at her, barely restraining her laughter. “Oh, dear.” She shakes her head, eyes glimmering under tonight's full moon. “You still haven’t learned how to shift, have you?”

Emma shakes her head. No, this is only her third time doing this. Sue her if she’s still kind of a beginner. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon enough,” the woman assures and it’s more sincere than anything else she’s said tonight. “And once you do, it shall be yours…” She pauses, smirking. “To control,” she finishes, rolling the r like a purring cat’s rumble. 

And like that, tingles are rushing through Emma’s body. Not the good kind, though. 

It’s more like someone’s shoved a fork into the electric outlet for the form changing switch inside her. “That is very interesting,” Emma says to herself, human once again. 

“I’m assuming your friend - Rosie, was it? - didn’t give you much of a crash course.” 

“Her name is Ruby, and no. She kinda just threw me into the woods if you couldn’t tell, lady. I’m winging it.” 

“No need to get snappish with me. If it comes down to cats and dogs, cats will always win.”

“I’m double your size. I could easily squash you.”

“Perhaps, but I can climb trees. Wolves cannot.” 

Which is a fair statement. Although, she’s suddenly tempted to try climbing a tree in wolf form out of spite, but even she is not that idiotic. 

“You need to find a pack,” says the woman with no room for argument. “I don’t need you terrorizing other werecats with your bad wolf skills,” she adds on, making sure Emma is under no impression that she actually cares. 

“That’s great and all, but may I remind you I’m kind of new to this. Where am I supposed to find one of those?”

The woman shrugs. “Follow a scent trail or something. Don’t ask me, I’m a cat.” 

* * *

Emma takes the woman’s advice shortly after, only realizing that she never got a name until the next morning. 

Overall, the whole scent trail suggestion turns out to be a bust. 

It’s not the strangest place she’s woken up, but she can’t say that the woods is her favorite place to wake up. But the magic of last night isn’t nearly as strong which gives Emma enough confidence to go to work today. 

She’s probably not going to shift while on the job.

It’s fine. 

Except it’s not fine because their new boss is none other than cat-lady (Real name still under investigation). She wears a fitted pantsuit, overly tall heels, and a pencil skirt, so all in all, Emma is justified in not immediately picking up on who she is the moment she walks in. 

She wasn’t exactly dressed to impress last night in the middle of the woods. 

Still, Emma doesn’t look up or notice it’s cat-lady until she opens her mouth. 

“Taxpayer dollars hard at work, I see,” she says mockingly. Emma freezes, dart in hand, blinking owlishly at the dartboard ahead of her. 

“Uh…” 

“Hello, Madam Mayor. So lovely to have you here,” says Graham.

“Yes, and it’s lovely to be here.” Her smile is positively cat-like. 

“Is there any reason for your visit?” 

“No, I simply wanted to see how things are running.” Emma is half sure that’s a lie of some kind. She has much better things to do than visit them. “Maybe stay for a short while.” 

Small town life is interesting. The rules are nearly non-existent in some areas. As long as the state government isn’t getting involved, daily life is pretty much a free for all. 

Which means the mayor can spend her days however she pleases until a citizen complains. Not that the citizens really care if she's even in the country as long as she’s not stealing funds like their last mayor. 

Mayor Gold hadn’t even stolen funds for a good reason to rub pepper in the cut. Nobody needs that many watches unless each is telling the time of a far off pocket dimension. 

“Have you met Emma yet? I don’t think she was here when we went through introductions last month.” 

Emma’s eyes only widen further, still frozen in place as cat-lady’s eyes stare right into her. 

“Yes, we’ve met before,” is all cat-lady says. 

“Well, that’s great,” says Graham innocently, completely unaware of what transpired last night or any tension between them. Not that it’s anything scandalous, of course. Phrasing it that way was probably a mistake. 

Everything was completely platonic and family friendly. 

Just a cat and a dog having friendly banter. 

“Indeed,” she purrs, and she’s definitely just messing with Emma at this point with her weird cat magic. 

The station’s phone rings, and for a moment Emma almost thinks it’s a way out, but the universe is a cruel mistress. 

“Miss Mau’s cats are stuck again. I’ve got to go retrieve them. Hold up the fort while I’m gone, okay?” 

Emma agrees wordlessly, watching as her only escape escapes. 

The two of them sit in silence for a long moment as Emma regrets every choice that led her to this moment and cat-lady debates whether or not Emma would taste better than tuna. 

“So,” Emma starts awkwardly. “How are you?” 

“I don’t think exchanging pleasantries is necessary, dear. I’ll admit, I was lying earlier when I said there was no reason for my visit.” Cat-lady reaches into her coat, pulling out two cards. She hands them to Emma. 

“Uh, thanks?” Emma takes them, brow furrowing. 

“Don’t thank me yet. You have no idea what they are.” 

“Well, they are,” Emma holds them up, reading the information, “a business card and a… membership to some place? Did you mean to give that to me?” 

“Yes,” she says, looking at Emma as if she’s an idiot. “Anyways, that business card is mine. I highly encourage you to visit the place listed on the card when you can. I can’t have stray pups harassing cats on the street.” 

Emma nods along dumbly. “Yeah, of course.”

Cat-lady— no, _Regina_ gives her one last look over, nodding to herself once she finds what she’s looking for. “I’ll be on my way then. And I’m quite serious about the harassment part. Don’t hesitate to call.” 

And like that, she’s walking off to wherever cat mayors go during the daytime.


End file.
